Fluting machine



Aug. 9, 1927. 1,638,481

C. A. FRAHM FLUTING MACHINE I Filed SeDtQQ. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 l u 1E; 1|

Aug. 9, 1927.

C. A. FRAHM FLUTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 9, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 .myg-

fa/14. Flu/ a@ 94W l Aug. 9, 1927.

` 1,638,481 c. A. FRAHM FLUTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 9, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Quot-m94.

Patented Aug. 9, 1927.

UNITED ,STATE-S CARLA. FRAHM, or CANTON, o

ING CoMPANjLoF CANTON, o

FLUTING Appucauonmea seetember 9, 192e. seri cant is aware that machines of various descriptions have been constructed 'for fluting columns formed of sheetmetal, including machines for iutingcolumns formed of light gage sheet metal, by forming the -iutes one at a time, over a stationary mandrel` by meansbf a movable roller. With machines of this type the mandrel can only be supported at its ends and the pressure is l0 only applied upon one side of the mandrel, making it impractical to flute any but very light gage sheetv metal. columns upon the same. Machines s ch as disclosed in my application tiled May 23, 1925, Serial No. 32,344, since matured into I Patent No. 1,605,828, dated November 2, 1926 have also been constructed and such machines are capable of satisfactorily tluting co heavy gage metal;

Appli lOwing to the present inclination "to increasethe height of columns for use as lamp standards and the like, it is necessa hat the mandrel, upon which the column/1s fluted, be of considerable length, midxowing to the fact that in the type of machin such as illustrated in my patent referred to. this mandrel must move longitudinallya distance at least equal to the length of the column, a con- ?fo siderable amount of floor space is. required for each machine.

The prese-nt improvement contemplates a construction in which the mandrel remains stationary during the uting operation, flutin rollers being passed longitudinally throughout the length of the column and engaging the same upon all sides, thus permitting the use of extremely heavy gage' metal in the columns and at the Sametime considerably lessening the floor space occupied by the machine. v The present machineA also eliminates the series of hydraulic cylinders and accumulators required in the apparatus such as disclosed in my patent above referred to, thus -considerably lessening the costI of building and installing the same. l

It is known that attempts have been made to form a plurality of lutes around a column in one operation, byplacingthe column upon a stationary mandrel, and moving an annular head longitud'nally Aof the mandrel. cam or spring operated rollers being carriedby the headand arranged to cooperate with the mandrel for uting the column.

lumns vof extremely l trated in the accompanyi i also supported upon the oor.

H10, ASSIGNOR T0 TH UNION METAL MANUFACTUR- nIo, A CORPORATION or omo.

N.. HEISSU ED MACHINE.

K Machines of this latter type proved tolbe impractical in use as, owing to the uneven wear upon the cams or springs, it was impossible to maintain a uniform pressure upon ,all of the rollers throughout the entire op eration, thus producing some flutes ofv less depth than others.

Sinceall of the rollers ycould not be held uniformly against the mandrel throughout the operation, irregularities in the iiuting of the column were caused,'making it impossible to `flute a heavy gage column upon the same.

The object of the present improvement is to provide atluting machine capable ofl {iuting columns of heavy gage metal upon a st-ationary mandrel, a movable head being prov `vided with rollers arranged to be-moved longitudinally of the column to flute the same over the mandrel, inclined tracks being provided with means for readily adjusting the same to the taper of the column whereby the rollers are caused to bear uniformly upon the column throughout its entire length.

An embodiment of the invention is illus- 'ng drawings, in

which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional. view of the improved tluting machine;

Fig. 2, an end elevation ofthe same.; Fig. 3, an enlarged section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, an of one end portion o the movable head;

n the line 5 5, Fig. 1;

Fig. 5, a section o Fig. 6, a fragmentary detail view showing the connection of the chain to the movable head.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings. y

.The mandrel, upon which the luting of the sheet metal columns is performed, is shown as a tapered shaft 1 provided around its periphery with the ribs 2, the edges of which may be substantially V-shaped, and spaced apart the desired distance to produce tapered tintes of the proper width in the column,

A spindle 4 is drel and may enlarged longitudinalsection fA the machine showing fixed to one end of the manbe journaled as upon the grooved roller 5, carried ina bracket 6v supported from the ioor. Aspindle 7 is fixed in the other'endpf the column and journaled in thembearing 9 formed upon a bracket 10 A wheel 11 is preferably fixed upon the spindle 7 for the purpose of rotating the mandrel to the desired position before each fluting operation. v readily remove the fluted column from the mandrel a. sleeve 12 is journaled upon the spindle 7 and arranged to berotated as by move the nut 15 into engagement with the large end oit the column and loosen the same from the mandrel.

A pluralitdy of ring frames 19 encircle the mandrel, at spaced intervals, from endto end thereof and. are rigidly supported in upright position as by the brackets 2O which may bevv fixed to the floor in any suitable manner. r

A plurality of tracks 21, perferably of substantially C-shape cross section, are adjustably carried by the frames 19 and surround the mandrel.v flhese tracks may be adjusted towardorfrom the axleas by the screws/22 located throligh threaded bea-rings 23 in the frames and pivotally connected to the ears 24 upon the tracks, as by the pins 25;

By means of .the'se screws the tracks 21 may be adjusted to the samet-aper as the mandrel. Guide rails 26 are located through the ring frames 19 forming a support upon whichv the head 27 may be moved longitudinally of the mandrel. i This head is provided with a plurality of lradially movable .plungers 28, correspondingl in number to the tracks 21, a 'roller 29 being provided upon the outer end of each plunger for engagement in the corresponding track, and a forming roller 3U being carried upon the inner end of each plunger and arranged to cooperate with the mandrel to flute the sheet metal column C the mandrel as illustrated in the drawings'.

Thehead is arranged to be moved, longitudinally of the mandreLfby means of the chains 31, locatedthrough the ring frames 19 and over the sprocket Wheels 32 journaled in bearings 33 mounted at each end of the machine. Each of these chains is connected atv both ends to the sliding head 27 as by the U-bracket 34 and channel bracket 35 upon the front and rear sides of the head respectively. One of the sprockets 32- may be driven by any suitable means in order to move the chains over,the same and slide the 'head 27 through the 'machine'.

Channel guides 36 may be supported Within'the ring frames 19 as by the brackets 37 for the purpose of supporting thel upper strands of the` chains 31 through the machine. a For the purpose of supporting the cenas they move In order to quickly andl of the column and which is placed over drel, a movable head,

tral` portion of the mandrel, rollers 38 may be provided, being mounted in the L-brack ets 39 upon the plungers 40. These plungers are mounted in the cylinders lland may be lowered into' the dotted line position lshown in Fig.. 3, to permit the head 27 to pass over the central portion of the man.

drel.

In the operation of the machineya plain tapered sheet metal column, as indicated at C, is placed upon the mandrel 1, being formed tightly around the ribs 2 thereon.

The head 27 is then moved the -entire length ofJ the mandrel, by means of the chains 31 forming flutes and fillets in the column at intervals around the circumferfence. The column and mandrel may then be turned, by means vof the Wheel 11, a suicient distance, upon its axis, to bring the next adjacent ribs of the mandrel into radial alignmentwith the rollers and the operation 1s thus repeated until all of the flutes y have been formed in the column.

' If. desired, as shown in Fig. 5, the fluting and fillet forming rollers may alternate around the head, vthe fluting rolls cooperating with certain of the ribs of the man-v drelto liute'the column between the same While the fillet forming rolls cooperate with icertain other ribs to form the desired fillets at these points. i I

After the column .is completely liut'ed the nut l5 is movedV toward the adjacent ,end of the mandrel, by means of' the Worm gea'r-` ing 13-14, the nut engaging thelarge end pushing the same longitudinally upon the mandrel a suiiicient distance to loosen thecolumn permittingV it'to be withdrawn'from the mandrel.

When a mandrel of different diameter or degree of taper is`n1ounted in themaoh'ine the channel tracks 21 may be easily and quickly adjusted, to correspond to the size and taper ofthe mandrel, by operating the` adjusting screws 22 in the ring frames.

I claim:

1;-'A flu'ting' machine including a mandrel, tracks parallel to the mandrel, a movable head, plungers slidably mounted vin the head andengaging .said tracks, and forming rollers upon the plungers arranged'to coopv mpunted in the head and engagmg said tracks, and forming rollers upon the plungiso ers arranged to cooperatev wit the mandrel.

plungersl slidably mandrel, trac arranged to cooperate with the mandrel and tracks,

4. A Ilutin machine including a tapered s-located parallel to the mandrel, a' movable head, plungers slidably mounted in the head and engaging said tracks, forming rollers upon the plungers means axis.l

5. A vluting machine including a tapered mandrel, tracksv located parallel to the mandrel, a movable head, plungers slidably mounted in the head, and engaging the alternate flut-ing and fillet-forming for rotating the mandrel uponv its rollers upon the plungers arranged to cooptracks erate with the' mandrel', and means for ro-l tating the mandrel upon its axis.

6. A uting machine including a mandrel, g arallelto the mandrel, a movable head,p ungers slidably mounted in the head and engaging 'said tracks, forming rollers upon `'t e plungers .arranged to cooperate with-the mandrel and means for moving the tracks radially to the mandrel.

7 A luting machine including a tapered mandrel, ring frames surrounding the man` drel, tracks carried by the ring frames and parallel to the mandrel, a movable head,

plungers slidably mounted in the head and engaging said tracks, and forming rollers` `u on the Jplungers arranged to cooperate ringframes surrounding the mandrel, screws in the rin frames, tracks'carried by said screws an yparallel to the mandrel, 'a movthe I adjustable membersv able head, plungers slidably mounted in .the

head and enga mg said tracks, and forming rollers upon t e plungers varranged to cooperate with the mandrel. v.

10. A lluting machine including a tapered mandrel, ring frames surrounding the mandrel, adjustable members carried by the ring frames, tracks lcarried by the adjustable members and parallel to the mandrel, a movable head, plungers slidably mounted inthe hea'd and engaging the tracks, and forming rollers upon the plungers arranged 'to' coop-l erate with the mandrel.

11. A luting machine including. a tapered mandrel, ring frames surrounding the mandrel, screws in the ring frames, tracks carried by said screws and parallel tothe mandrel, a movable head, plungers slidably mounted in the head and engaging said tracks, and forming rollers upon the plungers arranged' to cooperate with themandrel.

12. A lluting machine including atapered mandrel, ring frames surrounding the man'- drel, tracks adjustably carried in the ring frames and parallel to the .mandrel, guide rails located through the ring frames., a movable head slidably mounted upon\,the guide rails, plungers slidably mounted in the head yand engaglng said tracks, and forming rollers upon the plungers arranged to cooperate with the mandrel. i

13. A'iuting machine including a mandrel, tracks parallel to the mandrel, a mov-v able. head, ungers slidably mounted in the head-V and enga ng said tracks, .forming rollers upon the p ungers arranged to cooperate with the mandrel, and means for supporting the central rtion of th to be mov out of contact with the mandrel (sii tlhe movable head is moved along the mane r In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed name.

' v ABL A.

mandrel arranged 

